Dezeen Showroom: Stockholm-based Note Design Studio designed the compact Candid dining chair for Zilio A&C after failing to find a "straightforward" chair for its interiors projects.
The minimalistic wooden chair comes in natural and stained ash and features rectilinear legs that are turned diagonally inwards, towards the seat, giving it a different appearance from different points of view.
"This small change made such a big impact," Note Design Studio product designer Malin Engvall said. "It influenced everything in the design."
The Candid chair was designed to be functional and comfortable but also visually unique. Note Design Studio worked with family-run Zilio A&C and its artistic directors Mentsen to create the finished product, as the Italian company has experience in timber frame construction.
"Of all the companies, we knew Zilio A&C could produce something very minimalistic, and perfect in the detailing," Engvall commented.
Note Design Studio's aim was to create a minimal, light chair that was also robust, something that requires the joints and frame to be especially well-constructed.
In order to figure out the design the studio made both paper and wood prototypes, hoping to find the perfect balance between comfort and aesthetics.
"The part we spent the most time prototyping is actually hidden under the seat," product designer and Note Design Studio partner Fagerström said.
"The frame is really cleverly constructed by Zilio. When you turn the chair upside down, it's like looking at a piece of art."
With its hard edges and geometric shape, the chair might look austere, but the designers say it is surprisingly comfy.
"If it was as hard to sit in as it looks that would be counterproductive," says Fagerström. "There is an 'a-ha!' moment when you find that it is actually really comfortable."
Product: Candid chair
Designer: Note Design Studio
Brand: Zilio A&C
Contact adress: contact@zilioaldo.it
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